Chocolate Meringue Kisses

Tim Clark

Cook Time 2 hours

Servings 40

Ingredients

Meringue
6 fresh egg white (approx 250g)
250g castor sugar
250g pure icing sugar (sieved)
150g ground almonds
100g Sliced almonds

Chocolate Ganache
250g liquid cream
250g dark quality chocolate (chopped)
50g unsalted butter
50g honey
Cocoa powder for dusting

Method

Meringue:

In a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment place the egg whites at room temperature along with half the castor sugar in the bowl and begin to whisk on top speed until it triples in volume. Once the volume comes up begin slowly streaming the remainder of the castor sugar into the mixture whilst mixing on a medium speed. Turn the machine back up to top speed and continue to whisk for a further 2 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved in the meringue and has formed stiff peaks. Remove the bowl from the machine and fold gently by hand the sifted icing sugar until it is well dispersed throughout the meringue then lastly fold in the ground almond.

Place the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip piping nozzle and pipe bulbs onto a lined baking tray with baking paper. Each bulb should be 3cm in diameter with a gap of 3 cm in between each. Once the tray is piped sprinkle a little sliced almond on each bulb and place the meringues into a pre heated oven at 130.c leave to bake for 1 ½ hrs to dry out. Once baked remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire on the bench.

Chocolate Ganache:

In a saucepan bring to the boil cream, butter and honey, once boiled pour the hot mixture over the broken pieces of chocolate. Leave to sit for 30 seconds before mixing together with a whisk to combine ingredients and mix to a smooth shinny ganache. Put the mixture aside in a bowl covered with cling film on the bench for approximately 2 hrs to firm up.

Once firm and of a piping consistency place the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a plain tip piping nozzle and pip a small dollop on the flat side of one meringue, with another meringue sandwich together the 2 flat sides so as it forms a chocolate sandwich. Lastly dust the sandwich with cocoa powder before serving.